Ever feel like there’s too much to do, and not enough time to do it? Who doesn’t, right?
If your to-do list is making you feel burnt out, there’s a really easy way to put an end to these feelings.
It’s a simple system for categorizing things by how they affect your energy. Tasks are either:
- Energizing
- Neutral
- Draining
People talk a lot about time management, but I’d argue that energy management is just as important. Why? Because your energy level is what determines the quality of your work. If you’re tired, hungry, bored, stressed, etc. your work will suffer, even if you have hours of uninterrupted time. You won’t be as present or focused. By managing your energy well, you can prevent burnout and do your best work.
So how do we do this? Let’s say my list for today is:
- Make a phone call
- Take my son to school
- Email support
- Finish course presentation
- Write blog post
- Work out
- Take out the trash
Most people just pick one they think they can do now and knock it out. Some people actually put them in an order of time or importance. That’s better, but what if you combined that with whether the task will give you more energy, or take energy away?
In my example, I’d label today’s tasks as:
- Make a phone call (D)
- Take my son to school (N)
- Email support (D)
- Finish course presentation (E)
- Write blog post (E)
- Work out (E)
- Take out the trash (N)
The list starts to make a lot more sense to me right away, because all I have to do is arrange them so they boost my energy throughout the day:
- Work out (E)
- Take my son to school (N, fixed time)
- Write blog post (E)
- Finish course presentation (E)
- Make a phone call (D)
- Email support (D)
- Take out the trash (N)
In this order, I’m building momentum throughout the day, which will make the draining tasks much easier. If you’re looking at this list and wondering why I’d do the “hardest” things last, keep in mind that these things aren’t the most difficult – or important – they’re just the ones that I know will take energy away, based on my personality. The labels might be totally different for you.
The key difference between this approach and just doing high/medium/low prioritization is that you can use this method without worrying about the priority of each task, IF you’ve already filtered down to the essentials for the day first.
If you start with a long list and prioritize them, you’ll be tempted to do the low-hanging fruit first to get some momentum or fill gaps in your day, but often the things that “should only take a few minutes” get out of control and drain your energy, making it less likely you’ll finish the important stuff. Or, you’ll tiredly rush through them and call them done, even though their quality is lower than you’d like.
Your energy will naturally ebb and flow at different times, so if you know you always have an after-lunch slump, schedule something that will energize you at that time so it’ll pick you up for the afternoon.
Don’t expect you’ll have superhuman energy and discipline all day long. You won’t. Plan your day by trimming your list down to what you really want to get done, then take two minutes to sort your list in a way that will keep you energized and going strong.
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